Water-heater.



w. M. SHAW. WATER HEATER.

APPLICATION HLED .IULY 6| 1911.

Patented Aug. 3, 1915.

$51 attozmug 4 WILLIAM M. SHAW, OF GREENVILLE, MAINE.

WATER-HEATER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 3, 1915.

Application filed July 6, 1911. Serial No. 637,115.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, IVILLTAM M. SHAW, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Greenville, in the county of Piscataquis and State of Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in WVater- Heaters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in water heaters, and the object is to provide a heater which will be simple in construction, efiicient in use, and which may be readily interposed in a pipe line to heat the water passing through the same, as for instancea supply pipe to a lavatory, or bath-tub, although I desire it understood that the invention is capable of general application wherever it may be found desirable.

The invention consists in the improvements to be fully described. hereinafter and the novelty of which will be particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed.

I have fully and clearly illustrated my invention in the accompanying drawings to be taken as apart of this specification and wherein- Figure 1 i a view in front elevation, partly in section, of an embodiment of my invention: Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of'Fig. 1: Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33' of Fig. 1: Fig. 4 is a section on the line i-4 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference 1, 2, respectively designate inlet and outlet headers which are connected by transverse tubes or conduits 3 through which the water passes from the inlet header to the outlet header, and which tubes are heated as will be hereinafter set forth so that the water pa ssing therethrough will be given the desired temperature.

The headers preferably consist of hollow castings and are disposed in vertical parallel relation, the inlet header being formed with a tapered, closed upper end 4, and having its lower end tapered to form an inlet nipple 5 into which is threaded one section 6 of a water supply pipe. The outlet header is formed with tapered upper and lower ends 7, 8, respectively, the upper tapered end forming a nipple into which may be threaded a pipe section 9 leading to a point of outflow. The lower end of the outlet header is tapered and formed with an interiorly threaded nipple 10, to receive a threaded closure plug 11, by which arrangement sediment in the outlet header may be drawn off or otherwise removed. The lower portions of the headers are tapered so that there will be no abrupt surfaces to receive deposits or sediment.

The inner vertical wall of the headers or those faces directed toward each other are provided with seats formed by flangesli surrounding slot openings 12 in said inner .Vertical walls, which seats are adapted to receive the ends of the water tubes 3 which communicate with the interior of the headers through said slot openings. These water tubes are wedge shaped in cross section, and are each arranged from front to rear on an incline to the horizontal, with the base or butt of the wedge lowermost. Thesewater tubes are disclosed as being arranged alternatively inclined in opposite directions, at angle to each other with the apex or point of each tube closely approaching but not touching the under flat face of the tube next above at a point slightly above the bottom edge thereof as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 so as to leave a free space for a purpose to be presently set forth. The precise angle the'tubes have to each other is not essential but I prefer to have them substantially at right angles to each other as shown. I prefor also toincline the said water tubes lengthwise upwardly from the inlet'header to the outlet header so as to facilitate the free flow of the water through the heater.

Any suitable form of burner for burning either liquid orv gaseous fuel may be employed for heating the water tubes externally so as to heat the water passing through the same. I have shown in section in Fig. 2 and in dotted lines in Fig. 1, a burner which consists of a substantially horizontal tube 13 having nipples 14 arranged to deliver the fuel toward the under side of the lowermost water tube. The flame and highly heated gases and products of combustion then pass up in contact with the underside of the lower water tube until they strike the under face of the tube next above at which point they ass between the tubes through the space etween the upper transverse edge of the lowermost tube and the under face of the next tube, the said flame and products continuing this general course upward in engagement with all of the water tubes as indicated by thearrows in Fig. 2. By this arrangement of the burner and the water tubes all of the latter are more or less subjected to the direct action of the heat afforded by the burner.

In order that the water passing through the water tubes may be more effectively and quickly heated, I may provide each tube with a plurality of heat conducting pins 15 of suitable metal which are projected transversely through the flat walls of the tube, bridging the interior of the tubes and having their opposite ends project beyond the outer surfaces of said tubes to be subjected to the heat of the burner. These pins serve to conduct the heat through the body of water in the tubes and thereby expedite the heating of the water. The pins 15 may be brazed or expanded into'position or may be secured-by a very hard solder. I preferably make the'tubes 3 wedge-shape in cross section' so that the greatest amount ofthe cooler water may be thrown down to the point where it may be most effectively heated, and make the tubes flat so that the body of water flowing through the tubes to be'heated may be made as thin as practicable in order that it will be quickly heated. In the outer walls of the headers on a substantial level with the lower edge portions, of the water tubes are provided clean-out openings 16, closed by threaded plugs 17, through which open ings may be inserted a suitable implement to clean out any sediment which may collect n the bottoms of the tubes.

It is believed that the operation of the invention as above described will be obvious, but it can be briefly stated as follows; WVater is permitted to enter the inlet header through the pipe and flowing upward through this header passes into and through the transverse water tubes to the outlet header when it flows to'the outlet or any suitable receptacle. While passing through the water tubes the water is film-like and is quickly heated by the heat of the tubes and the heat carried through it by said conducting pins.

YVhat Iclaiin and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A water heater of the class described, comprising spaced vertical headers, each being-formed in an integral piece, one header having an inlet at its lower end, and the other header having an outlet at its upper end, water tubes connecting said headers, each tube being flat in cross section and inclined upward from the inlet header to the outlet header, said tubes being also inclined transversely and alternately in opposite directions, the upper edge of each tube being arranged adjacent and above the lower edge of the tube next above it, the headers having openings into the tubes, and a burner directed toward the lowermost tube.

2. A water heater of the class described, comprising spaced vertical headers, each being formed in an integral piece, one header having an inlet at its lower end, and the other header having an outlet at its upper end, water tubes connecting said headers, each tube being flat and wedge-shaped'in cross section and inclined upward from the inlet header to the outlet header, said tubes being also inclined transversely and alternately in opposite directions, the upper narrower edge portion of each tube being arranged adjacent and above the lower edge of the tube next above it, the headers having openings into the tubes, and a burner directed toward the lowermost tube.

3. A water heater ofthe class described, comprising spaced vertical headers, each being formed in an integral piece, one header having an inlet at its lower end, and the other header having an outlet at its upper end, water tubes connecting said headers, each tube being fiat and wedge-shaped in cross section and inclined upward from the inlet header to the outlet header, said tubes being also inclined transversely and alternately in opposite directions, the upper narrower edgeportion of each tube being ar ranged adjacent and above the lower edge of the tube next above it, the headershaving openings into the tubes, the openings from the inlet header opening into the lower and wider portionof each water tube.

4:. A water heater of the class described,

comprising spaced vertical headers, each be.-

ing formed in an integral-piece, one header having'an inlet at its lower end, and the other header having an outlet at its upper end. water tubes connecting the said headers, and each tube being flatand wedgeshaped in cross section, said tubes being inclined transversely in opposite directions, the upper narrower edge portion of each tube being arranged adjacent and above the lower edge of the tube next above it, said headers being provided'with integral flanges conforming to and surrounding the ends of the water tubes,-and said headers also having openings into the tubes, and a burner directed toward the lowermost tube.

In testimony whereof I signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WVILLIAM M. SHAW.

Witnesses:

CHAS. D. SHAW, H. M. MILLETT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

. Washington, D. 0.

have hereunto 

